Right to Live
by NightOfAThousandDreams
Summary: It wasn't over. It was never over. What Hawkeye and Chingachgook did not know was that Alice survived. And, maybe, Uncas too. A new battle for survival begins...
1. She Survived

She gasped for air.

She gasped for air as she fell rapidly down towards the mountain greens, a disgusting sucking sensation closing around her. She closed her eyes as she waited for impact. This was what she wanted. That man killed the only boy in the world that she would ever love.

Uncas.

She felt her mind go blank as images of the Mohican flashed through her head. His smile, his touch, his hair. But mostly his eyes. What was it about them that made her feel safe? What was it about them that made it seem as if everything was going to be okay?

She felt the suction rapidly increase as she landed harshly against the ground. Her mind went blank; the last thing image she saw was Uncas' loving eyes.

...

Alice woke up, everything around her in darkness. Was this death? A quiet, lonesome place where souls only wandered helplessly around? She tried to get up, but the painful sting in her leg made her realize that she was still alive.

Broken, mangled, and bloodied, but alive.

She felt tears well up in her eyes. This wasn't what she wanted! She wanted to die! She wanted to be with Uncas! The tears started to fall rapidly onto the rough earth. She layed there, her bone's broken, barely able to move. In fact, the only way she _could_ move was if she had a walking stick. Her thigh was terribly bloodied; her leg was broken. She touched her forehead. A sticky substance coated her fingers. Her hair was thick with dried blood.

Alice tried to stand up, but the sharp pain in her leg made her fall back down with a yelp. She looked around, looking for support. A dried branch caught her eye. Slowly and painfully, she crawled towards it. It was crude, and it didn't look comfortable. But it was sturdy. And that was the only thing she needed.

She painfully leaned against the stick and began to walk aimlessly around the forest. Her plan was simple; she wanted to wear herself out so she could finally die. And, if she happened to find Uncas' body, she would let herself fall against it and die on him, so they would be together.

Hours passed. She did not feel death's grope around her, nor did she find Uncas' body. All she found were leaves, dirt, and twigs. She felt herself cry. She cried. She cried.

Oh, was _this_ the way that Fate wanted her to go? Wandering aimlessly in a forest? Plotting a mad plan in her head? She was but fifteen years old; yet, she had gone through one thousand years. Death was not looking upon her. Pain was seething against her. Hot tears trickled down her cheeks. UNCAS!

Suddenly, she tripped. Groaning in frustration, she looked harshly at what had caused her fall.

And then she cried.

Uncas.

His body was a bloody mess; mangled, torn, disheveled. His eyes were closed as if in some deep sleep; yet Alice knew that this was not the case.

She felt a lump form in her throat as she threw herself against him. She would die here. She would wait for Death to claim her here. She kissed Uncas' cold lips and lied against his chest. She closed her eyes and waited for death to come...

Thump.

What was that? Was that Death walking towards her?

Th...ump.

Alice sat up straight, ignoring the intense pain in her chest. She pressed her thumb against Uncas' neck. Her eyes widened as she felt a slight pulse. Barely there, but a pulse.

Alice's eyes brimmed with tears. There was still a chance!

A chance!

But what to do...


	2. He Would Live

She leaned painfully against the dry branch trying to think of what to do. She had been down here before; she knew that there was a spring not too far from here. But how was she supposed to help Uncas? She herself was badly wounded. Her chest was aching; she knew she had broken her collar bone. Her thigh and leg were broken in several places. But then, she thanked God for letting her escape with only these injuries; she could have broken her neck _very_ easily.

Unfortunately, Uncas was not as lucky. Not only was he losing blood rapidly, but in addition to the severe wounds inflicted by Magua, he was suffering from various broken bones. It was possible that he would never walk again _if_ he survived.

Alice shuddered at the _if_. No. "If" was no longer in her vocabulary. She had gone too far to give up. He _would_ survive. He _would_ survive _and_ walk. And run. And hunt. And hold her.

His life was in her hands. She couldn't give up so easily.

She took a deep breath and limped as fast as she could towards the small spring.

...

He could hear her voice. And he could feel her touch. But he couldn't see her. And he couldn't hold her. And that hurt him deeply. He struggled to move; to open his eyes, but it was all in vain. He felt the pain in his stomach seeth at him mercilessly. He tried to smile when she kissed him, but it felt like something had frozen him altogether. And it frustrated him. Never mind that it was very possible that he would die. Never mind that if he _did_ survive, his life might never be the same. Only one thing kept him going.

Alice.

...

She struggled with bringing the water back from the stream. Her thigh was now like a boulder, not budging when she tried to move it. Her pale blue eyes plainly showed the fierce pain she was struggling with. She bit her lip and started to move again. Carrying water to the wounded was never this hard; but then again, she never did carry water not in a bucket, but in piece of hollow log, _limping_ pitifully, with broken bones seething aginst her endlessly. But she did not care.

She was tired of being timid, tired of letting things get to her. She could _not_ give up. The pain was temporary; the reward was eternal. She _would _save Uncas!

With renewed strength, she braced herself as she carried the heavy "jug" towards the wounded Indian. She sighed in relief as she sat down. But she was far from done.

She had already known that she had to make some sort of brace for all of the broken bones in Uncas' body. And she already knew that she needed similar treatment. But after what he had done for her...

She would fight to the end for him.

She gritted her teeth in pain as she tore off a piece of her battered skirt. Her arms were aching. She began to suspect a dislocated shoulder. But that didn't matter. Uncas did. She bathed the clothe in the cold water and began to pat it gently across the deep, multiple wounds all over the Mohican's torso. He had lost much blood. But she prayed that he would survive. No, she _knew_ he would survive. God was on her side. So God would help him.

She then gently wrapped the moist clothe around his waist. It began to tremble slightly, perhaps from the pain. But that was good. That meant that he was regaining consciousness.

She then dabbed his face with the water. As the clothe gently touched his smooth, copper skin, her finger slipped and accidentally touched him. She quickly drew back, her heart pounding. What if he evaporated? What if he suddenly died? All sorts of foolish, but, heartbreaking, thoughts entered her mind. She immediately shook away those thoughts. She was no longer a child. This wasn't the time for silly little games. She had a life in her hands.

A life she loved dearly.

She gently carassed his face. She looked at his copper skin, bright with sweat. She swallowed a lump in her throat as flashes of memories crossed her mind. Magua. He would pay. She didn't know how, but he _would_ pay.

She remembered what he had done, in order to protect her. To show her he loved her. They barely had ever talked; it was mostly small words, meaningless greetings. But the glances they stole were worth a thousand words. They had been through so much together; words, to them, were useless. But the glances, the looks, the touches..._they were all real_. And she loved him. She loved him dearly.

She wouldn't let him die.

She felt her fifteen year old heart pound pitifully. She felt her eyes brim with tears. She flung herself upon him. "Why did you deserve this!" she whimpered. She squeezed her eyes shut. She remembered the look he gave her as he was supposedly killed, mercilessly, painfully. Though he was not dead, he was in a horrible pain she knew. The terrible Huron had slit his stomach slowly. And it pained Alice to see his eyebrows knit together in painful agony. And it wretched her heart out to see him stir, only to be stilled by his wounds.

Wait, he was _moving_?


	3. For Alice

He had given up all hope.

When he versed against Magua, he knew that he was going to lose. He _knew_ he was going to die. But he had tried anyways. Anything for Alice. When he had struck four men down, it did not phase him. He knew that his doom was close at hand. Magua. His eyes were cold, threatening to hack him into pieces. And it wasn't just a threat. It was a sure reality.

But Uncas hadn't cared. He looked at Alice, trying to soak up her image one last time, and then faced Magua. Though Uncas was a notable warrior, the Mohican was nothing compared to the hardened, experienced Huron. As he tried to deliver a blow, Magua had easily blocked his attack and disabled his arm at the same time. Even though he knew it was futile, Uncas tried one last blow against his enemy. The older Huron calmly blocked his attack, and quickly stabbed him deeply mulitple times.

The pain was unbearable. The fear was worse. But he would not show his fear. No. Let Magua take his life, but not his dignity. Wearily, with no strength left to fight, Uncas calmly let Magua lift him up and slit his stomach. And that knife inching towards his throat...

Pain rang in his ears as he fell down the cliff. Many memories crossed his mind. He remembered growing up with Hawkeye, and the stories his father would tell them about the Mohican heritage. He remembered trapping and hunting with his father and brother, blessing each animal before they killed it. But then he remembered when he first saw Alice...

And he felt as if his soul was finally let free.

He did not feel the crushing of his bones as he tumbled down the steep cliff. He did not feel sharp twigs slashing at his flesh as he fell down through the trees. All he heard was a whisper. "Uncas..."

_"Uncas..."_

And he felt that it was time to go. He had nothing to hold to; his beloved was gone. He was letting his mind go blank...letting his sight grow dark.

But death would not come.

The pain was great; he could not move his neck or else an merciless shock would shoot up inside of him. His legs were utterly useless; he could barely feel them. His torso was losing blood rapidly from the multiple stab wounds he recieved. His right arm was completely numb.

And yet he lived.

"Oh Great Spirit," he would cry out in barely a whisper. "Why do you let me live? I have nothing!"

He would repeat this over and over until he could no longer speak. He closed his eyes and beckoned for a quick end. He was willing to die; at least Alice would know that he loved her.

And so, hours after his supposed "death", a dark cloud began to drift upon him...

And kissed his lips.

Uncas felt an unnerving shock. He struggled to open his eyes. He tried to move, tried to find out what was going on. And then that sweet voice awakened his will to live...

"_Uncas..._"

Alice!

He felt a fire burn within him that was quenched long ago. A deep passion stirred within him, whispering in his ear: "Live, young Mohican, live!"

And that was what Uncas would do. He would live. He _would_ live. Not for his sake, but for the sake of the one he loved. Alice.

So he struggled. He strugged with the overbearing pain, with the numbness carassing his body. He struggled until a snap of pain made him flinch. He felt himself become less of a spirit and more of a man. Though the pain was great, he realized that it was the only way to get himself to wake up.

Not for his sake. Alice's sake.

Let him live to a ripe old age. Just let him die with her. So he could be with her. Forever.

For Alice.


	4. READ IT DUDES! please?

Hey people!

I'm SO glad I've gotten so many reviews! This story came from my heart, and I'm glad that you guys enjoyed it. However, I'm sorry to say that I'm am very busy at the moment and I have no inspiration. But don't worry, next week is winter break! Yay! I'll rent LOTM, laugh, cry, melt over Uncas, try to kill Magua, and get inspired.

Next week, it shall be updated!!

Thank you for understanding!

Love, Hana


	5. AN UPDATE after two years

HEY GUYS!

I have great news...after 2 years of me being a lazy ass with a writer's block as big as Canada, someone was kind enough to continue the story for me!

Here is the link to the continued version:

.net/s/6573402/1/Right_To_Live

Please know that I have tried updating this story many MANY times, but I just didn't have the inspiration for it. I am thankful that someone was nice enough to take that pain away from me. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the continued version :)

Lots of love,

Hana.


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